Feature: Pakistan and Peace in Afghanistan

Peace in Afghanistan is a great dream that, in addition to the people of Afghanistan, is also pursued by neighboring countries, because they believe that the establishment of peace in Afghanistan will contribute to the security and stability of their countries.
The war in Afghanistan has long been abhorred by the people of this region, as it has given rise to enormous problems; and many countries in the region are also concerned about the expansion of this war outside Afghanistan. Now, many regional countries and the international community, as a whole, believe that peace and stability in Afghanistan have international implications.
As a matter of fact, the peace efforts have been made from time to time, and various Afghan peace talks have been held with the Taliban. Currently such efforts could be observed in various talks in Moscow, Qatar, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Recently, Pakistan hosted a peace summit in Bhurban, near Islamabad, with the participation of a number of important Afghan politicians.
Muhammad Karim Khalili – head of the High Peace Council, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar – Hizb-e-Islami leader, Ata Mohammad Noor – Jamiat-e-Islami leader, Second Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqiq, Mohammad Hanif Atmar – Candidate for Peace and Moderation group, presidential candidate Abdul Latif Pedram, Ahmad Wali Massoud, Fawzia Kofi and Pir Sayed Hamed Gilani were among the participants.
The summit was largely praised by the participants and all of them appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts in the peace process. The Afghan leaders also met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and talked approvingly of the changed and improved stance of Pakistan regarding peace efforts in their country.
Pakistan, the neighboring country of Afghanistan, has the longest border with Afghanistan. It also shares deep linguistic, ethnic, religious and cultural relations with Afghanistan. On the other hand, both countries having been suffering from the negative impacts of terrorism.
Pakistan, now, has a better control of the situation of peace and security. And, it seems to have realized that a peaceful Afghanistan is a vital benefit to Pakistan, and can support it in furthering its achievements regarding anti-terrorism efforts. In fact, both the countries need to realize that honest cooperation between the two countries is essential to defeat this curse.
The aspiration of the Afghan people is that the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan can reach to the point where the two countries will live with better cooperation and relations. Once this is possible, Afghanistan and Pakistan can make joint efforts to eradicate extremism and hatred.
Many analysts, as well as Afghan intelligence officials, agree that reconciliation in Afghanistan will not take place without Pakistan’s support and the cooperation of other countries in the region.
Afghanistan can achieve peace when all major powers and its neighbors are sincerely involved in the peace process, and Pakistan can be the key in this regard. In fact, Pakistan can play a decisive role in bringing the Taliban to negotiation table and ending the longest US war in Afghanistan. The United States also seems to understand that peace will be achieved when all major powers and Afghanistan’s neighbors, in particular Pakistan, are present at the table.
The importance of Pakistani relations with a country like Afghanistan cannot be overlooked, but what matters is that these relationships are within the framework of a strong strategy, taking into account the national interests of both countries and peaceful coexistence. Moreover, Afghanistan can benefit from existing capacities in Pakistan in various fields.
Pakistan is a productive country; however, Afghanistan, because of the lack of modern infrastructure, cannot fulfill many of its needs. Therefore, Pakistan is the best option to meet these needs. Because of the common border, easy access routes, and affordable material, Afghanistan’s access to these markets is far more cost-effective than others. Pakistan is also the shortest transit route for Afghanistan to international free waters, which can be of great help in Afghanistan’s economy and transit. Therefore, we can say that Pakistan, with its cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious background, is one of the most effective countries in the region for peace in Afghanistan.
(Sahar News)